A Case of Nerves
by Emily McDonald
Summary: 3-shot; LDD, complete summary inside. A series of non-platonic firsts between Leslie and Jess. Absolute fluff.
1. Cherries

_A/N: Just got this idea right now. Stinking hopeless romantic, I am:) This is most likely a three-shot, about the most nerve-wracking steps in a relationship. Jess and Leslie are fourteen in this part of the story. (Each chapter is an individual story, but not really… you'll get it once the story is over.) R&R! _

_**STANDARD DISCLAIMER: **__I do not own Leslie, Jess, or Terabithia. They belong to Disney, Walden Media, Harper Collins, as well as Katherine and David Paterson. No offense to the Paterson or Hill families in writing LDD._

**CHAPTER 1:**

**Cherries**

---JESS'S POV---

There she was. My everything. My best friend, the girl I loved. She just didn't know it. And that was the hard part.

Being fourteen, I'm still pretty young, too young to be in love, most people would say. But I don't care what other people think. I shouldn't. She taught me that. She's given me more than anybody could think possible. She's given me hope, courage, happiness, wisdom, strength, and patience. She's given me a friend. Everything I need. She's strong, smart, kind, loving, sympathetic, generous, witty, impulsive, gentle, motherly, patient, and imaginative. See why I love her?

"Jess. Jess. Jesse! Earth to Jess!"

Uh-oh. She caught me. Not that it surprised me. She's too smart for that ol' It-Looks-Like-I'm-Listening-Doesn't-It? Routine. She knows me too well. I know her too well. So I decided to tease her.

"Oh what, great Queen of Terabithia?" I asked in my most haughty King-ish voice. "Is thou angry that your King is daydreaming while you research Shakespeare and what not?" 

Leslie and I were in our "Castle", which is really a tree house in our imaginary kingdom, Terabithia. We've been coming here for three years, and it still hasn't lost it's magical, healing effect. Except now. Right now, Leslie and I are working on a Shakespeare report for Literary History class, a class she talked me into taking. I'm not into reading and writing like Leslie, I just did it to make her happy. Not to mention forty extra minutes a day of having those gorgeous blue eyes catch mine. Look at mine with happiness and laughter. Like now. Oh, here they go again, pulling me in… Wow. Amazing.

Uh-oh. Distracted. Oh my gosh! Am I _drooling_! What kind of pathetic moron am I? 

"Jess? Are you okay? You're seriously spaced." Leslie informed me. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Too much syrup in my oatmeal this morning, I guess."

She laughed. "I'd buy that!" She shook her head at me, causing a lock of her blonde hair to fall. She reached to tuck in back behind her ear, but some how I was faster. I rolled forward, onto my knees, and caught the lock, sliding it gently back into place. Leslie's hand was there still there, and so was mine, still wrapped around the lock of shining blonde hair. Her index and middle fingers were lightly touching mine. I was leaning into her, I realized. Her eyes were locked with mine, and she was smiling. They were shining like stars when her eyelids fluttered shut.

Oh my gosh. What did this mean! What did she want? I opened my mouth to ask her.

"Leslie…" I breathed my face about two inches from hers.

---LESLIE'S POV---

_Oh, come on, Jess! _I yelled in my head. _What could possibly more important than this! _

Still, I figured he might be mad at me for ignoring his question.

"Hmm?" I breathed back, rubbing my fingers against his.

"Leslie." His voice was surer now. His face was only an inch from me. I wondered if I should quit being old-fashioned and just kiss him. 

_No. _I decided. _Be old-fashioned. Let him take his time. _

While he stood there for what seemed like hours, I racked my brain for all the romantic fairy tales I had read. Stupid princesses didn't give enough detail! They didn't talk about two best friends staying in one place forever, waiting for the other to do something!

---JESS'S POV---

Leslie sighed. She sounded impatient.

Impatient!

Either way, I was on a bad ship right now. She either wanted me to let go, (more likely) or for me to kiss her. (I severely doubted it) Until she did _that. _

She leaned forward and rested her forehead on mine, her mouth only centimeters from mine. Taking a deep breath, I went forward.

---LESLIE'S POV---

Yes! Yes! Finally! Jesse Aarons kissed me! Well, it wasn't really a kiss, if you consulted my Mom's romance novels. He just sorta rested his top lip on mine, leaving a big space between our mouths, since his bottom lip wasn't even touching mine. But hey, his lips were on me. I'll take it!

He whispered.

"Leslie…"

"Yeah?" I said, making no movement to open my eyes or move my lips. 

"I'm sorry."

---JESS'S POV---

What had I just done! I was kissing my best friend! No, she wasn't just my best friend anymore. She was Leslie. My Leslie. Leslie Burke, a girl, a God-for-goodness girl, was kissing me. _Me! _What did it mean, though? Does she love me?

"Leslie…" I breathed her name into her mouth.

"Yeah?" She said. She didn't move though. I didn't feel her eyelashes brush against my face, which meant her painfully beautiful eyes were still closed. Her fingers were still wrapped around mine. I didn't feel her shining hair being removed from my hand. And even though I was becoming dazed, I knew for a fact her lip was still brushing mine.

"I'm sorry." I pulled away slowly, not wanting to, but knowing I had to. I let go of her hair first, then her hand, finally opening my eyes before pulling away my lips. I ran a finger gently over her eyelid, to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Then I retracted my mouth.

Leslie waited a few seconds to open her eyes. I ran my tongue over my lip. Something sticky was on it. It tasted like cherries. It was Leslie's lip gloss. Leslie's cherry lip gloss was on my lip! I was giddy inside. There was my proof. Leslie Burke's lips had been on mine!

---LESLIE'S POV---

He was gone. His fingers weren't there anymore; he wasn't stroking my hair or my eye. His lips were inches away. I traced my top lip with my finger. Some of my lip gloss was gone. Not that it mattered. I didn't know why, but I felt ready to cry. Your first kiss was supposed to be happy!

"Jess?" I whispered my voice breaking.

"Yes, Leslie?" He sounded nervous.

"You don't have to be sorry."

---JESS'S POV---

_You don't have to be sorry._

Her voice echoed in my head.

My God. 

She liked it! Ha! She liked it as much as I did. At least I wasn't an idiot.

My eyes locked with hers again. She stared at me.

"Jess." She said my name tearfully.

I just kept staring into those beautiful, hypnotizing, eyes.

"Don't hate me." She finished.

Hate her? _Hate her! _Was she crazy? Did she honestly think I hated her? _I _kissed _her. _If anything, _she _should hate _me_. I could never hate her, ever. I loved her. I knew it now. But I knew Leslie. She wouldn't believe my words. I had to show her. And though being impulsive was really her thing, (one of the things I loved about her) I decided that just once, I could be the impulsive one. 

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to her feet with me, before closing my eyes and kissing her full on the mouth.

---LESLIE'S POV---

I kept my eyes open for a few seconds, so my mind could register what was happening. His lips were back, over my whole mouth. And he was kissing me. Hard.

"Mm?" I said, before giving in, closing my eyes and wrapping my arms around his neck.

After a minute, he drew back. He gave me a lopsided smile. I flung myself into a hug.

"Don't let go." I begged.

---JESS'S POV---

"Don't let go." She whispered in my ear, tightening her grip on my neck. 

I slid my arms up from her waist to her stomach so I could tighten my grip. She buried her head in my chest.

"I wouldn't dream of it." I whispered, before planting a kiss on her crown of golden hair. 

As I clung to Leslie Burke for dear life, I ran my tongue over my lips again. And I realized how much I loved the taste of cherries.

_A/N: Here's your first "story"! This isn't the end, there will be at least four more "stories" to come. Hope it wasn't TOO sappy, but as I said, I've been feeling a bit romantic lately. :) Hope you enjoyed. R&R!_


	2. The Perfect Gift

_A/N: So glad you guys liked this story! It'll probably be a four to five shot, since I have been bitten by cupid (little late, I might add) as well as the idea fairy. I could be a BtT video I just watched on Youtube with the song "First Love". I greatly enjoy the symbolism of Jess's 'staring' in the movie, (If you have the DVD, watch the audio commentary with AnnaSophia and Josh and you will understand) so I try to use it as 'Inspiration'. Also, this chapter MIGHT be shorter than my first, but you know me… also, thanks to my reviewers. I LOVE YOU:)_

_**STANDARD DISCLAIMER: **__Terabithia belongs to all those people I mentioned in 'Cherries'. No offense to the Paterson or Hill families in writing LDD._

**CHAPTER 2 **

**The Perfect Gift**

_(AGES: 15ish)_

---JESS'S POV---

The best four years of my life involved Leslie Sophia Burke. Things had gotten even better since our kiss last year, though they weren't exactly where I wanted them to be. No one really knew Les and I had feelings for each other except the Terabithians, (no DUH, we had our first kiss in the castle.) PT, (Leslie told me he was the only other 'Person' who knew everything about her besides me) and Maybelle. (How did my nosy little sister find out about me and Leslie being 'IN LOVE'? She said she could see it in my eyes when Leslie and I came home that day. Yeah, right!) 

Okay, that's beside the point. Thankfully, nobody else in my family are as, "In tune" as May, so they don't know. Judy and Bill, Les's parents, know, I'm assuming, by the way Judy gets all misty whenever we're within twenty-four inches of each other, and the way Bill reminds me to "Take Care of His Little Girl" whenever we go anywhere. Not that he has to. I would never, er, you know, _do _anything to Les, I love her too much. That sounds creepy for a fifteen year old, I know, just trust me okay? Since we are best friends and all, we had a talk about our 'situation' not long after our first kiss. We agreed we would wait…ugh. This is grossing me out!

Anyway I was seriously nervous. Her birthday was coming up, it was just three days before mine, (She would be sixteen before me, and LOVED to torture me about it.) and I had no idea what to get her. It was hard. I didn't want to be too sappy, but she needed to know how much I needed her. Loved her. Ahh-HA!

---LESLIE'S POV---

Jesse was already in Terabithia when I arrived, leaning against a tree near the entrance to our sacred grove, looking giddy. The sparkle in his eyes reminded me of two things: The pure joy his little sisters, Maybelle and Joyce Ann, got when they got first dibs on after dinner TV, and the hair of mischievousness he had before he kissed me for the first time.

I giggled softly, approaching him. "Why King Jess, you look rather ecstatic this morn." I said in my most queenly voice. 

He whirled around, surprised, and grinned. "Leslie!" He cried. Pinning me gently against the tree, he kissed me hard, a way I enjoyed. He must be happy about something, I knew. Jess was rarely spontaneous in that way, and only kissed me that way when he was happy.

"Hmmm!" I giggled. I would've wrapped my arms around his neck, but he was holding my arms above my head. I was a prisoner, sorta. I knew he would let me go. Not that I wanted him to.

After a while, he let me go, but I nuzzled his neck with my head, and gave him my most pitiful puppy whine, complete with a stuck out lip and widened eyes. 

"Oh!" He droned, pretending to be annoyed by my overly cute expression. I knew he wasn't really annoyed though, because he obliged me with another kiss, softer than the first.

"Thank you." I said playfully. I felt his lips spread into a grin. As he pulled away, I slipped my arms around him and closed his upper lip in both of mine.

---JESS'S POV---

Leslie and I had always been very strict with our kisses, if you could call it that. We had never really "explored", in a gentle way, but here she was, kissing me, like that. I liked it. A lot. 

Gently, I pulled away, before gazing into her partially open eyes and setting a few soft kisses on her lips. They were light, using only my bottom lip, but I heard Leslie giggle with pleasure. She shivered as I lay a hand on her shoulder, and kissed me back.

"Oh!" she cried in delight, flinging herself into a hug very similar to the one she had given me the night of our first kiss. I laughed, but it soon died away as I knew for certain the perfect gift for Leslie's sixteenth birthday.

---LESLIE'S POV---

Even Terabithia seemed to oblige to our happiness today. The Dark Master didn't plague us today, so Jess and I were content to sit on the castle's porch together. Our fingers were intertwined, and my head was resting on his shoulder. He seemed to take great fun in burying his face in my hair and kissing my head lightly, which I had ABSOLUTELY no objection to whatsoever, and I let him have his fun. 

We left Terabithia at around two thirty, and Jess seemed a little jumpy, if you could call it that. Before I swung across, he kissed me again, warmly, drawing small circles on my back. Surprised, slightly, I rolled a bit of his hair between my middle and index fingers.

His eyes followed me the whole time I ran to my house, and he was smiling. And though he thought I didn't see it, I watched him blow me a kiss as soft as a drop of rain.

---JESS'S POV---

I had the worst night of sleep ever. I kept tossing and turning, scenario after scenario filling my mind. What if she didn't like it? What if she didn't love me back? 

Then I remembered what she had said during our first kiss.

_You don't have to be sorry._

That was an act I was nervous about, but Leslie loved it. Everything would be fine. So, feeling reassured, I rolled over and slept.

---LESLIE'S POV---

Even though my mother had strongly objected, I finally convinced her to not have a big dinner celebration. I would be spending the day with Jess, and then having a dinner of fried chicken and quesadillas (My favorite foods.) with my parents. 

I left my house at about ten in the morning, running towards Terabithia. Once again, Jesse had beaten me. He greeted me with a smile.

"Hey birthday girl." He said, placing a kiss on my cheek. I smiled at him, and we headed for the castle.

When we arrived, he climbed up first, then taking my hand and helping me up.

As soon as I was up near him, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me deeply. Deeper than he had ever kissed me. He pulled me back into a dip, so far down that I was almost touching the floor of the tree house. 

"Wow." I said, breathing heavily. "That was the greatest birthday present ever!"

He smiled and pulled me into his chest. I obliged, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his shoulder. He rooted his face under my hair and found my ear. 

"Leslie…" He breathed.

"Yes, my King?" I raised my face ever-so-slightly from his shoulder.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

_A/N: Tada! The next chapter will sorta continue this one. R&R! _


	3. Breathe

_A/N: Hi! Well, I'm SO glad you guys don't mind me being romantic once in a while… lol :) Thanks to my reviewers. Leon, this chapter WILL continue 'The Perfect Gift' as you suggested. I honestly have no idea how long this will be, depends on my inspiration. Anyway, on with the story!_

_**STANDARD DISCLAIMER: **__All credit to those mentioned in 'Cherries'. No offense to The Paterson or Hill families in writing LDD._

_(AGES: Same as previous chapter, as this takes place five seconds after.) _

**CHAPTER 3**

**Breathe**

---JESS'S POV---

"_Leslie…"_

"_Yes, my King?"_

"_I think I'm falling in love with you."_

The dialogue bounced in my head like one thousand of those cheap little bouncy balls you got out of a quarter machine outside the supermarket. I was feeling clammy, and though I had Leslie in my arms still, it felt like I was holding air. I waited for her. Would she respond?

---LESLIE'S POV---

"_I think I'm falling in love with you."_

Fireworks were everywhere. I couldn't breathe, yet I had the sweetest cleanest air. I opened my mouth to speak, but my mouth was dry as the dessert. I knew if I spoke, I would have water to drink, in a way, but I couldn't. My heart was pounding like a bomb ready to explode.

_He loves me! He loves me! __**He loves me!**_

I tightened my grip on him, trying to show him. But I was already squeezing poor Jess like a python, so it didn't really help. What could I do?

---JESS'S POV---

My God.

I blew it. 

I told her too soon.

She doesn't love me back.

I've lost everything!

I've gotta apologize.

"Les…MMMHH!" I opened my mouth to speak, only to find Leslie push herself away from me and kiss me like she needed to suck every ounce of air from my body. I stared at her closed eyes for a second, trying to process it. Thankfully, I'm not entirely stupid, and figured it out before she stopped. I kissed her back, hoping this was her way of saying: "I Love You Too."

After a couple of seconds, she stopped. She looked at me embarrassed. I gave her my lopsided smile, the same smile I gave her after our first kiss.

"Hey," I said. "It's your birthday. Why do I get a present?"

She laughed, and stopped blushing. "Cause you gave me the best present ever." She replied genuinely. She hugged me again, and I could tell the humor was gone.

"Jess," She whispered. Her voice was back.

"Yes, Leslie?" I rubbed her between her shoulder blades.

"I love you too."

I hugged her tighter, and kissed the top of her head. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to hear you say that." 

---LESLIE'S POV---

I felt giddy inside as he had me there. No more guessing on flowers going, 

_He loves me._

_He loves me not._

I _knew._ I knew for a fact that he loved me. ME! He didn't love Madison McCafferty, the prettiest girl in school. He loves me. Me, me, me, me! I couldn't think it enough. I sighed happily and buried my head in his chest.

---JESS'S POV---

She was mine. I knew it now. Leslie Burke would never leave me. Ever. I had her right there with me. My Queen would not desert me.

"Leslie, darling." I whispered.

---LESLIE'S POV---

I shivered in delight. He had never called me that before.

"Yes, your majesty?" I asked him, gazing up at him.

And then ever so gently, he slid his finger under my chin and raised my lips to his.

---JESS'S POV---

I felt her there. She was there, I knew it. But still, I had been kissing her softly from the very beginning. Today was special right? I had told her I loved her. She deserved proof. So I kissed her harder, pushing my mouth against hers.

"Hmmhm!" She giggled. Startled by the sudden weight of me, she was now against the outer wall of the tree house. I wrapped my arms around her waist and smiled. She wrapped hers around my neck and smiled back. I ran my tongue over her bottom lip, something I had never done before. She nibbled my top lip with hers.

_We're even. _She seemed to be saying.

I enjoyed this game. I gently removed my mouth for a moment and looked at her. Her eyes were shining brighter than usual, if that was possible. I reached up and tugged her hair. She giggled again. Feeling brave, I dug around for her ear again, nibbling at her ear lobe. Her breath caught in her throat and she sighed, making the noise I referred to as 'The Happy Leslie Noise'. I had succeeded.

I pulled away slowly. She looked at me with her sad puppy face.

"Jess!" She whined. I was a bit startled. She had never done this to me before. 

---LESLIE'S POV---

"Jess!" I whined as he pulled away from me. He looked a bit nervous. I realized I had never whined to him before. I wrapped my arms around him again and buried my head in his chest. I could tell by his body language that he finally understood what I was trying to convey:

_Don't let go. I want more._

He obliged to me, gently grabbing my chin again. But without warning, (Heck, even I didn't plan on it!) I pounced on him.

---JESS'S POV---

Leslie pounced on me. Though she's petit, she's still a sixteen year old girl, whose weight I had not been supporting. The boards of the tree house creaked loudly as she pounced on me, sending me onto my back in surprise. It didn't seem to bother her though, as she was kissing me like out lives depended on it. She was lying on top of me. 

---LESLIE'S POV---

I was on top of him. 

My Gosh!

What had I done?

---JESS'S POV---

Wow. This was fun! I wrapped one arm round her waist and intertwined our fingers with the other. I kissed her back, moving my mouth on hers. Leslie had finally seemed to snap out of it, and she was running her fingers through my hair. As she went to pull away for air, I grabbed her, and rolled over so I was on top. I had her.

---LESLIE'S POV---

Jess had me. Not that it scared me. He wouldn't do anything bad. Now I realized how much bigger he was than me. My hand was completely hidden in his, and I was startled by his weight on my stomach. He was still kissing the living daylights out of me.

"Jess!" I mumbled, laughing.

"Um?" He replied. 

"I need air!" I choked still laughing.

As to be a comedian, he opened my mouth and breathed into it, like he was performing CPR. I laughed, but was stopped when he started to play with my tongue. I wiggled away from him.

"Leslieeee!" He whined.

"I need air, Jess!" I coughed. He tilted my chin up.

"Breathe." He instructed. And then he started kissing me all over:

My neck, my jaw, my cheeks, my nose, my forehead, my hair, my hand, my ear.

"Oh!" I cried in delight, as he trailed kisses as light as butterflies down from my ear to my neck.

He smiled at me. "Queen Leslie has regained her breath." He said, and pounced on my lips again, stopping to trail to the other places he had kissed me.

After a few minutes he sat up and pulled me to my feet. I smiled at him, and hugged him like there was no tomorrow.

---JESS'S POV---

As Leslie and I regained our breath, I realized why I had been needing to be with her all the time, why I had been possessed to kiss her like that. Nobody can live without air to breathe. And Leslie Burke is my air.

_A/N: R&R please!_


End file.
